Toronto transit line just had a literal breakthrough with biggest milestone yet
As Metrolinx continues to make headway on multiple major transit projects around Toronto, it feels like new lines are rapidly catching up to the much-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT — including, even, its westward extension.
On Friday, the team working on the 9.2 km-long addition that will connect the Crosstown's terminus at Mount Dennis Station with Renforth Drive in the west made a major announcement about the segment's progress.
Tunelling work, the first phase of which began in 2021, has now hit a quite literal breakthrough moment, with one of the twin boring machines (affectionately named Rexy) pushing through its final exit point.
Now at the extraction shaft near Scarlett Road, Rexy's work is done, and the fancy behemoth will be taken apart and removed.
Tunneling on the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension is one big step closer to being finished! 🚊
— Prabmeet Sarkaria (@PrabSarkaria) April 26, 2024
Rexy, one of our twin tunnel boring machines, has broken through at the extraction shaft.
The extension will bring 37,000+ more people within walking distance of rapid transit. pic.twitter.com/NBYuvuKBKU
Of course, upon a celebratory post sharing the news from Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, residents were quick to inquire about when the troublesome main portion of the LRT line will finally be put in service.
"When is the opening date for THE PART THAT’S ALREADY FINISHED?," one person asked on X this afternoon.
"So, only 20 more years until it's open!" another joked about the extension, pointing to the more than a decade of construction that crews have invested into the Crosstown, which is now four years past its original opening date.
A new poll revealed how bad people's faith in Metrolinx truly is, with only seven per cent of respondents saying they think the initial leg of the Crosstown will open later this year, 18 per cent saying it won't happen until 2025, and 31 per cent, in 2026.
